For Immediate Release
February 8, 2012
South Easton, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference has announced its Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award recipients for the 2011 fall athletic season in the sports of men's and women's cross country, field hockey, football, men's and women's soccer, and volleyball.
Seven student-athletes, who excelled both on the field of play and in the classroom during the fall season, have been recognized by the NE-10 Conference office, and were named Sport Excellence Award winners. The athletes include a member of the national champion women's soccer team from The College of Saint Rose, as well as a representative from the men's and women's conference champion cross country teams from Stonehill College.
Six different member institutions had at least one student-athlete selected, with Stonehill being the only school with two winners.
Stephen Polito, a senior, is a member of the NE-10 Champion men's cross-country team from Stonehill. He has a 3.7 grade point average and is majoring in graphic design at Stonehill. Polito placed second overall at the NE-10 Championships in the eight-kilometer race with a time of 24:19.24, and was tabbed a first team all conference selection, as well as earning all east region honors. He earns the honor for the second consecutive year, and has been named to the NE-10 Commissioner and Athletic Director's honor rolls each semester he's been on campus.
Polito's classmate at Stonehill, Maura Ferrarini earned the women's cross-country sport excellence award. The chemistry major, with a 3.77 GPA, helped lead the Skyhawks to their third straight NE-10 Championship, as she was also a first team all conference and all east region selection. Ferrarini finished third overall at the NE-10 Championships, covering the five-kilometer course in a final time of 18:12.58. Ferrarini was named to the 2011 Northeast-10 Academic All-Conference team, and has been named to the Commissioner and Athletic Department's honor roll every semester during her time at Stonehill.
Franklin Pierce University's Tia Levins was named the sport excellence award winner in the sport of field hockey. The senior, who has a 3.85 GPA in her major of business management, scored 17 goals and registered 36 points this season in helping lead the Ravens to the NE-10 Championships. She was a first team all conference selection, and was also selected to play in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Senior Game. Levins is also a three time academic all conference selection.
Assumption College senior linebacker Nick DiAntonio, pictured, is a 3.97 student, and is majoring in mathematics and secondary education. He finished second in the NE-10 in tackles with 106 stops, and was a first team all conference selection. DiAntonio recorded 21 tackles in the Greyhounds game against Southern Connecticut State University, an NE-10 single-season high in 2012. He has posted five 4.0 semesters, earning the Assumption Premier Student-Athlete Award six times. DiAntonio was also recognized with the Ray Marion Award, which is presented to the two Assumption seniors with the top GPA's in their class.
Robbie Sabadoz from Merrimack College earned the award in the sport of men's soccer. Sabadoz, a business major with a 3.85 GPA, led Merrimack in scoring for the fourth straight season with 19 points (eight goals and three assists). He was a first team all conference selection in 2011, and was also selected as an Academic All-American for the third time this year. Sabadoz was also named to the 2011 Northeast-10 Academic All Conference team.
Christina Cuffari, pictured, a member of the national champion Golden Knights' women's soccer team was named the sport excellence award winner. Cuffari, the Northeast-10 Conference player of the year, has a 3.73 GPA and is majoring in business administration while at Saint Rose. In addition to being named NE-10 player of the year, she was also named the East Region player of the year, and was a Daktronics and NSCAA first team all American. Cuffari led the NE-10 in assists with 13, and finished fourth in the conference in points with 29. She was selected as a scholar all American for the second time in her career this fall, and was named to the academic all conference teams each of the past two years, as well.
The University of New Haven's Chelsey Alpough earned the honor in women's volleyball. Alpough, a first team all conference selection, helped lead the Chargers to another perfect NE-10 regular season mark and to the second round of the NCAA Championship. Alpough currently has a 3.76 GPA and is majoring in the management of sports industries. Alpough, the NE-10 Setter of the Year, was named a CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District first team selection. The senior was also named to the 2011 Northeast-10 Academic all conference team.
The Northeast-10 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence awards are chosen by a vote of a committee of athletic administrators and Faculty Athletic Representatives (FAR). The Northeast-10 will honor one student-athlete per conference-sponsored sport each year. There will be a total of 23 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winners during the course of the academic year.
The conference will announce the winter sport winners later this spring and will announce the spring sport winners in June.
To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence award the student-athlete must have completed at least two consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment at their current institution and at least two years of athletic eligibility at any institution. In addition, the student-athlete must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of a 3.30.
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 5,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
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